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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Staying on board a sinking ship

Posted By: Unhappy Camper on 2006-11-16
In Reply to: pay cut - es

I worked at a different company in an unrelated field where all the employees were required (not requested) to take a 15% pay cut and receive stock options in return.  I left.  Others chose to stay with the company and told me I was crazy to leave; I would "never" earn as much money elsewhere.  I thought they were crazy to stay and said so.  The older employees said they had to stay or lose their pension.  Well, the company went under anyway, the stock was (of course) worthless, and the pension fund had long since been looted by the major shareholders.  Staying on board a sinking ship of a job may be more comfortable but not in your overall best economic interests.


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Staying on board a sinking ship..maybe
I forgot to add that if you are making top pay at that company and the 1 cent per line pay cut is still better than you would earn elsewhere, it may well be in your best interests to stay on board that ship patching and bailing (grin) but still being mindful that the ship may go under suddenly.
Transcription... sinking ship?
Is it just me or does it seem like every hospital everywhere is outsourcing their transcription???  Has anybody in the transcription field changed careers or have thought about changing careers???  I am thinking about going to college for x-ray tech if my hospital gets outsourced.  I was going to go to another hospital, but I am scared of being outsourced yet once again.  Can I get you guys thoughts on this???  Is anybody else feeling down and out about this field for a career???  I hate I am having these dreary thoughts, but it is just disheartening to me to see how this is affecting alot of people.
Industry pay is sinking.
With 9 years experience, I was offered 5cpl for straight typing.  Nuts if you ask me.  Yet the company filled the positions with that pay. 
Sinking boat together?
Speak for yourself because I have finally reached the point, thank goodness, that if transcription stopped dead in its tracks tomorrow I would be getting in more a month then than what I am actually making now at my job. Leaving to me is an option now whereas in the past I could not say that.
New Orleans not only below sea level but sinking 1 more inch a year.
nm
I have a sinking feeling that the work to type will be unintelligible

so I probably won't be staying.


Will see what they will put into writing.  They don't ever seem to find the ink to do that.  And with cut after cut and twists and turns I can't afford any more assling around.  I need to make a living.


But I have a feeling that the only dictation we will find is the terrible guys and the editing they have already said will be reduced 20% or something to that effect.


Well, I'm not ready to do a steady diet of pulling my hair out over some creep, and I'm not sure I can live on any more reduction in pay.


Why are you asking? I am about to jump ship here too
A post today was taken off twice for no reason really. They blanked out places just because I was asking about what company now did so and so work. I worked for the hospital before and wanted to hook up again. They are being overboard on these matters.
Tell that to the cruise ship industry.
dd
I didn't have to pay to ship the computer.
I had no problems with the people I worked with. The work was easy, and I always had very high QA scores. I left because the work kept running out and they don't pay much at all, although hardly anyone does. If you get an offer, look at the benefits before you decide. Personally, I'm done with nationals, but Amphion is probably not any worse than the rest of them.
40k here as employee, but ship sunk
I just jumped ship from a large national after my account converted to SR. I had made 41K the previous year, and that with very little overtime. I knew that with the conversion to SR my income would drop drastically, so I left for another company. It will take me a bit to build back up to the 40K+ level, but I know I will. The name of the game for me is expanders!
Unionization WILL NOT ship jobs

If American MTs were to unionize today..jobs would not magically clear up and go overseas.  Why??  Because if Cbay, MedQ and other large MTSO do not need the threat of a union to ship jobs overseas...if they had the manpower set up (as they are busily trying to do....training the little Indian people as quick as they can to decipher american medical language...most likely very poorly)....then these jobs would be gone now...  We do not have jobs because we are not unionized.  we havwe jobs because at this point in time..India, Philippines and any other third world country they can set up their server is not able to handle all of US transcription. 


If we were able to form a union....the first order of business would be severely limit the amount of transcriptinon that goes overseas...as well as provide informed consent to the docs, hospitals, and clinics that their dictation is going overseas...  Also..I would demand to see examples of transcription provided by these third world countries.  I would also demand ASR is paid NO LESS than 20% of an MT Line rate and I would ensure cost of living raises just like every other industry.  I also would dismantle the worthless AAMT as their only purpose is to sell exhibit space to MTSO.  They have historically servied the MTSO...NOT the individual transcriptionist...


Might also be a good idea to ship the equipment
n/m
That's hilarious, hiring bonus. Everyone jumping ship?
nm
Jan, it has been great exchanging information with you - thanks and I hope your ship comes in soon
nm
Cruised Mediterrean in 60 passage cruise ship
South of France, great food, great wine, wonderful shopping, ancient ruins, Michaleangelo, so much more. Well worth 10 grand.
My sister makes Clipper Ship Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Milk chocolate chips, sometimes toasted pecans, and varies between Grand Marnier or sometimes Amaretto in them!

Oooooooooo!!!! Large cookies, and fresh baked with a glass of super cold milk!

Now my mouth is watering! LOL
Not me. I'm staying. NM
..
Staying with IC definitely. Thanks.
I make 700.00 a week 4 days a week at my IC job. I turned the job down. Thanks again.
STAYING AWAY FROM TRANS.
A. I strongly discouraged anyone I meet who has signed up for any kind of program at the community colleges or elsewhere who wants to learn transcription. It's really distressing to see people pay their hard earned money for training in a field that is virtually in the toilet. I find myself making 1/2 of what I was making 10 years ago as an MT with no benefits and 50% more grief.
In staying with this man for as long as you have,

having his children, and allowing him to verbally and emotionally abuse those children, you're setting the example to your children that this is how a relationship works.  Now that your 16 y.o. daughter is reaching the age where she will begin dating, she has learned from home life that men call women names and expect women to clean up after them.  She's going to wind up in some lousy dysfunctional relationships herself.  Where is her bioDad?  I'll bet he wouldn't be happy to hear from her how stepfather dearest treats her.  Is he a positive role model in her life?  Probably not, or he wouldn't be your ex.  Teach her to have respect for herself and never tolerate mistreatment.


Anyway, off the soapbox now.  You go, go quickly, and never look back.  Get out of there! 


I am staying at the Stratosphere
for the first time in May.  We had booked the Stardust, but its being torn down to build a new hotel :(  Stardust was our favorite.  I have also stayed at Fitzgerald's downtown a couple years ago and it was really reasonable and nice, no complaints, but it is downtown.         
Those situations different than STAYING in bad
Robbery or scamming are an in and out situation that you have little control over.  Staying in a bad job is usually a long term situation that you CAN control.  It is hard to change jobs.  However, the longer you put off starting the process, the longer you are allowing yourself to stay in a bad situation. It is sad to think you would give someone else such control over your life that you let yourself be abused. And the only one that can change something like that is YOU.  The buck stops with you when it comes to who has control of your life.  
Staying in MT for the "perks" - sm

Is not a good enough reason to do this job.  period, end of story.


The money is out there, but you have to look for it and you really have to want it.  You are looking for "everything" and you cannot have it - it's just not possible or reasonable.  You have to like the job to make it worth your while or to push yourself to achieve what you are looking for.  Chances are, you are probably make good money doing editing at 5cpl, but its your lack of desire that takes you so long to get the job done thus driving down your hourly wage.  You're in love with  staying home and getting a paycheck and not the job.


If you do not like your job, your performance is going to suffer no matter what field you are in and when your performance suffers, so does your wage especially in a production based job like this. 


staying away from message boards
Two years into MT I found message boards.  I had some small complaints about my job and was kind of in a love/hate stage of my relationship with MT.  Reading the boards with people complaining so much really put me more in that frame of mind to the point where I started hating my company and hating transcription in general.  When I left the job I had at the time and started a new one I vowed no more message boards because I felt they had poisoned my attitude, which was easily influenced at that time.  I stayed completely off message boards for the next five years and now am back (obviously), but that gave me enough time to get more established with my company and actually know and like my career enough that reading a lot of MT complaints doesn't bother me now.
It'll flame. I'm staying out of it.

staying home w/teenagers
Can not agree with you more.  Where my preteen & teen hated that I was at home all the time, their friends loved it...duh, guess which mom was there to haul them around before they got their drivers lisc.  Still think they should be 30 before they can drive
Just ignore this poster! Obviously staying on
subject and reading comprehension must not be a strong point in their skills list! Of course we all care more about children. This poster just doesn't know how to stay on topic and obviously wants a fight.
what are your ideas on staying focused??
When I am on my game I can do 250 to 300 lines per hour, but then after a couple of hours I start dropping to less than 150 lines per hour.  How do you stay focused?  I have tried working different shifts, split shifts, etc., but I just do not seem to be able to stay focused.  I have no small children at home, so that is not a problem.  I am in my own office space, but I just seem to start drifting after about an hour and then that is it.  Any suggestions?  Thanks. 
Help staying awake and productive
I have real problems staying awake, focused and productive.  I am alone all day, I think I get enough sleep, and I keep the TV on in the other room for another voice, but I get bored and can't keep my concentration and then I start web surfing and my productivity goes in the hopper.  Any suggestions on staying awake and focused?
If the meeting consists of her staying

and listening to dictation, yes, it should be paid and she as an IC should set the amount she should be paid.


I pick-up and deliver, and that's in my line charge.  I also do that at my convenience, not theirs.  A real office is fine with that and understands the meaning of IC.  Lisa is a vendor like any other contractor.


If I had to sit and listen and sort patient lists, etc. and spend more than 5-10 minutes tops at an office, then I would charge for that time spent at that office sorting through their mess.


Let's face it.  The office is a mess and Lisa is their scape goat.  Since now they know she's bending over backwards, they will take advantage. 


Again, Lisa should not spend her time sorting out their mess.  Furthermore, if they can't figure out what to give her and "don't have time", then Lisa's response should be that she doesn't have the time either unless she charges them for that time. 


It just sounds like a real mess of a deal.  I can't wait to hear if they actually pay her at all! 


Okay, I'll shut up now!  Just the fact that she's posting again is hysterical.  I guess I'll keep my mouth shut after saying from the last thread regarding this "I told ya'' so." 


You all thought "oh just this one time."  Why do you think the other girl quit?  Hello?  Can you say doormat?


Staying at home with the kids, yeh, right
Your message just said it all. That is why the field is looked down on so much now. Staying at home and go broke, no one really cares anymore. I had heard it all now. You get asked reasonable questions and you say in a little wifey-mamma talk, "can't we all just stay at home with Junior." I guess it will be important when the employer starts charging you just to work, will it still be that important. Get real.
does anyone have a problem staying awake while typing?
even when I dont feel tired, I sit down to type and my eyes start dropping.  HELP. SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!
Reasons for staying, not as simple as just quitting!
Well, for me, I stay because of reasons already mentioned on this board - fear of unknown, dread of getting stuck with an even worse company (it could happen), but also very realistic reasons - my research into other MTSOs, taking tests, and gathering info has yielded no good news - I would be taking at minimum a 2 cents/line pay cut from my current pay at MQ but yet if I stay with MQ, my pay is likely to go down anyway (yet some part of me keeps hoping, probably naively, that I will not experience this). Not a single company I contacted would offer me my current pay or even talk about that I could hope to reach it at some point in the future. So, you tell me, with my 20 years of experience, does anyone really think it's that easy to just go to another company and purposefully take a pay cut - yet knowing the one you have been with for 8 yrs is likely gonna give you one anyway - can you see the dilemma of trying to figure it out???? Add in that I know of MTs who got fed up with MQ long ago, moved on to other large MT services, "better" ones, only to have it bought out by MQ!!

Have you read these boards and found any company that sounds ideal, one that would make you feel secure enough to know it will be better, one that you would jump ship for? At another time, this may have been possible, but our industry is changing and fast, and pay across the board is going down. A friend of mine keeps saying "the writing is on the wall."

So, for those of you question why we stay - first, be glad you are okay with your job, with MQ or not - and also remember for most of us, life isn't black or white. It just ain't that simple! I.e, Job/Company Sucks does not always equal Quit and Find A Better Job! If you are tired of hearing the complaints and frustration and your experience with MQ is just great, count your blessings. Remember, there are lots of other postings on this board to read unrelated to MQ complaints, so why waste your time telling those of us who are trying to figure out what to do that we should hurry up and do it. If we sound like broken records while we commiserate, are validated by one another, and are all trying to figure it out, well, geez, quit listening to the record. I'm sure it gets old for you all if your MQ experience is a good one.

Sorry for the rambling thoughts, but thanks for listening.
Atlanta sure enough is. Folks need places to go. A lot are staying
x
How? I've done pretty well staying out of debt, but
I'd like to get some money set aside for retirement and pay off my home. Any advice you can give?
Why does not driving equate to staying home? (nm)

Staying Focused -Energy Drinks
I am having a huge problem.  I cannot seem to find the energy to work all day.  This sounds so bad because I sit all day!  Seriously though, it feels like I get so bored sitting here at the computer.  When I drink some of a Nos energy drink, however, work is so fun, I have tons of energy, and I make a lot of money sitting here.  I love this work, but what's the deal?  I don't even like consuming caffeine.  I got an energy drink the other night to stay up all night and finish some STATs, and now I feel like I can't work without it.  It was hard to focus even before I started the caffeine.  What is going on here?    Why can't I just get my work done like a normal person?
I am glad you cleared up the reason for staying in bed
I was thinking gosh she sure is lazy but then you said RA. I got out of bed this morning so stiff and took 1/2 of a pain pill just so I could start to function and not feel so bad. I am bothered with fibromyalgia but once I get up and get started I don't think I could start to type any other way than what I have done for years.
I see posting all the time about transcription, why are you staying, really?

First of all let me tell you about myself. I am way past the time when I have to "make" a living, do not have children to raise, can work if I want and not if I want, have just reached that point of not having to put up with much of anything anymore. My question is to you- yes you- the one who is posting here complaining and complaining about how this work has gone downhill and it has. If you are younger and really need the money and need to work and make a decent salary, why are you hanging on to something that does not look like it will change? I see the letters supposedly being written to the president, 60 minutes and the like. What do you think that will do, if anything? I am really surprised that the trend in this job is sinking even further in the money department, no raises ever and if you want more money, then work long, long hours and 7 days a week. Instead of fussing and being irritated about the lack of work, the lack of money, etc., why in the world do you not try to find another "real" profession before you get to an age to where you would really be stuck, that is not ever being able to pull out from this hole ever. I could not raise a family on what I make now but that is the difference in me and most I read on here. Ladies (with an occasional gent thrown in here or there) what are you thinking about? Why not make a change while you are young and can? There are loads of jobs for the medical field, if this is what interests you. Staying at home with the kids was perhaps ok at 1 time but not anymore. Why not get out while the getting is good and you still have a chance to really enjoy your job while at the same time being able to survive? Think about it.


 


 


I see posting all the time about transcription, why are you staying, really?

First of all let me tell you about myself. I am way past the time when I have to "make" a living, do not have children to raise, can work if I want and not if I want, have just reached that point of not having to put up with much of anything anymore. My question is to you- yes you- the one who is posting here complaining and complaining about how this work has gone downhill and it has. If you are younger and really need the money and need to work and make a decent salary, why are you hanging on to something that does not look like it will change? I see the letters supposedly being written to the president, 60 minutes and the like. What do you think that will do, if anything? I am really surprised that the trend in this job is sinking even further in the money department, no raises ever and if you want more money, then work long, long hours and 7 days a week. Instead of fussing and being irritated about the lack of work, the lack of money, etc., why in the world do you not try to find another "real" profession before you get to an age to where you would really be stuck, that is not ever being able to pull out from this hole ever. I could not raise a family on what I make now but that is the difference in me and most I read on here. Ladies (with an occasional gent thrown in here or there) what are you thinking about? Why not make a change while you are young and can? There are loads of jobs for the medical field, if this is what interests you. Staying at home with the kids was perhaps ok at 1 time but not anymore. Why not get out while the getting is good and you still have a chance to really enjoy your job while at the same time being able to survive? Think about it.


 


 


Virginia is taking 4000--- some are staying at the Mariot
Nice digs. They are also putting them in camps by the lake.

I know it is nice, but think of what it is like to not have a home.

I would not want to be like this, but it could happen to any of us.
Having trouble staying on task to produce lines?
I do.  I was beginning to think I'd developed adult ADD, but I think I found the cure.  It's a free download called Home Typist 4.01.  This program is a small utility application which makes each keystroke sound like the strike of a typewriter key.  I cannot believe how much this has helped my line count.  There was something about the typewriter sound that just drove all distractions from my mind.  My fingers were flying, and believe me, they haven't flown for years!  This was my first full day with the program.  I had my usual mix of good and bad with one really long, horrible resident who had no clue what he wanted to say (it took me an hour and a half to get through his dictation), and I still increased my count today by a little over 300 lines!  I kid you not.  Windows XP is not listed as a system it can be used on, but I assure you, it works quite well with XP. 

Mine got worse after staying home and working...
I think having to get up and leave the house and face people daily actually helped me. It wasn't until I started staying home that my anxiety got worse and I went back to a psychiatrist and then got back on medication. I make a point to not get stuck in a rut and venture out very often. If it is severe though where someone could not work at all, then I think this would give them another opportunity to earn a living where they wouldn't have had one at all.
I see lots of reason people are staying in the field,
about the low wages. If everyone is so happy with the satisfaction MT gives, the flexibility, etc., are these the same people complaining of low pay? It almost sounds like it's okay to make a lousy wage in exchange for what it gives. I still don't think Pattie's question has been addressed: Why complain?
if people are anything like our higher education with a degree person, i'm staying in.
really and truly, i have a very intelligent and supportive network of friends and family and i am not a recluse. i just don't mingle well with people who don't think before they talk as in the higher education chick. that's downright scary when you think about it.
I'm having a hart time lately staying motivated and getting a good count,
x
Oh one more thing..if your traveling and staying at hotels, plan ahead. I learned the hard way.

A hotel that states they have "internet access" does not necessarily have it in your room. A lot of them have what they call a "business" center where they have like a community computer to share with other guests or to have access on your laptop you need to sit in that room. I dont know about you but I dont feel like dragging out all of my equipment and sitting in a lobby somewhere to work. Double check that they have internet access available in your room.. and be forewarned that most chart for wireless internet access like maybe $10-12 for a 24-hour period. We just got back from Vegas, and to me, it was worth that fee for a whole 24 hours. I got the most work I could out of it.


I love it too - love doing my nails 5 hours a day and staying awake

Love NOT getting paid while sitting doing my nails too.  It's a real turn on.


I tell all my friends to try it -- sit in front of your computer while you have no money to pay your rent and instead do your nails, you get a real buzz down in the pit of your stomach.


 


And its gonna kill you to post on the Company board rather than the main board?
x
This post should be made on the Company board. See that board. Thread locked.
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This post should be made on the Company board. See that board. Thread locked.
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